Triangle Summer (Ongoing)

chapter 4: circus

The dinner table is filled with steaming hot food that Elizabeth made. It smells so familiar. In a pleasant way of course. Anne left many hours ago, so the rest of the day I just stayed in bed. I have too much of a hangover to get out and be social right now. "You going out tonight as well?" Elizabeth asks. My phone vibrates before I can think of an answer. I got a text message. It's from Anne. Jesus, what does she want so late in the evening. 

Anne: Yo Ydris is having a show tonight! I wouldn't miss that if I were u ;)

Fuck no, I'm thinking to myself. That bastard has the most vicious aura i've ever encountered. He's up to no good, i can tell. 

Y/N: I'm not sure. Still kinda dizzy after yesterday.

I can feel Elizabeth staring at me. I look up. "I'm guessing that's your plans for the evening calling?" she chuckles. "Remember that you're allowed to say no if you're feeling tired". She always knows what to say. The thing is, I kinda feel like I should join. It's been many years and it makes me happy that she wants to hang out with me. It's rude to decline invitations for stupid reasons like 'tired', or 'hung over'.

Anne: Dude come on. The tickets will be my treat and if the show is boring, you can always boo him.

It would be really fun to humiliate him, indeed. "I think I'll go. I've missed my friends and I haven't even gotten to speak to the other girls yet" I tell Elizabeth. She smiles at me. "You've grown up". 

"Let's goo! I knew you would come!" Anne yells at me. She's standing behind a horse. I swear to god, if I have to ride that thing. "Okay, I remember you not liking horses so much but it's literally the most effective transport you can have here. The roads are bumpy as fuck". She pets her horse and stretches out her hand. I walk over to her and grab it. I squeeze her hand and stare into her eyes. "If I fall off this damn horse, it's all on you" i threaten her. She burst out laughing. "I know my stuff, trust me. Il'l protect you." She mocks me and pats me on the shoulder. My head sinks down my neck. She graciously gets up on the horse. "Stick your right foot in here and try to lift the left foot over to the other side, I'll hold your hand." I do as she says but it ends up being Anne dragging me up on the horse. "Okay, not bad for the first time. The show starts in 15 so let's get going". She gently pats her feet on the horses stomach and makes a clicking noise with her mouth. As the horse accelerates, I panic and throw my hands around Anne's stomach. I squeeze tightly in fear of falling off, but Anne doesn't seem to mind it.

The horse begins to slow down. To our right i spot a gigantic purple and pink circus tent. I've never seen that color on a tent before. There's a line of people waiting to get inside. Their faces are filled with expectations and excitement. I feel so out of place. Everyone here's hyped about the show, but i know nothing of it. I didn't even know it existed until yesterday. Anne hops off the horse and stretches out her hand towards me. "I don't know how to hop off" I say, while moving my eyes to her hand, then the horse back, and back to her hand again. "Just grab my hand and jump, it's not complicated". I breathe in slowly and swallow the air. With both hands I grab Anne's arm and jump off the horse. "See? it's really not that scary" she smirks and pats me on the head. I brush her hand off and fix my hair. We wander slowly over to the tent and end up in the far back of the line. Anne stands on her tippy toes and takes a look inside the tent. "There's many people here today, we might end up sitting in the back" she says in a disappointed tone. "Does it start any time soon?" I ask. She smiles. "Only 1 minute left. Are you excited or something?" Anne mocks me. I don't feel like answering. The crowd begins to move forward. As the entrance gets closer, my heart beats faster. All of these people are here for him, and his performance. 

I'ts dark except from the flashing, colorful lights. The entire crowd is whispering. We are placed on the fifth row from the stage. It's not too far behind to not see anything, but hopefully we won't catch his attention either. The lights go off and almost as if on cue, everyone screams and cheers. A small man starts playing a drum roll. The stage curtains slowly open and the drum roll becomes faster and louder. A bright light shines on a silhouette. Another light gets turned on and Ydris is revealed. He stands in the middle of the stage with his arms stretched out towards the crowd. He's confident, you can tell by his lifted chin. He has a sharp jawline and a mischievous smirk. He charms his audience in a split second. I don't want to admit it, but I feel intimidated by him. "Welcome, citizens of Jorvik" He says into a mic. "Tonight I have prepared an extra special show for you", Ydris starts to walk to the front of the stage. I can hear high pitched girly cheers from every seat. He snaps his fingers and the tiny man on the drums opens up the curtains again. In comes two horses. I think? They had zebra stripes in different colours. I have never seen a horse look like that. Ydris is standing tall on the tip of the stage, staring into the front row. He casts his eyes as if he's casting a spell. The horses are trotting around in circles without ydris giving a single command. Ydris lifts his right hand up and the horses stand up on their back hoofs. I don't know if that's easy to accomplish, but the crowd seems impressed, and i assume they're equestrians. "Now I know my fantastic horses are eye catching, but tonight, I would like to spice things up" he says. He's a walking clichè, how does he have so many fans? The little man comes out with a big box and a wheelbarrow filled with saws. I've seen this trick before. He's definitely going to get in the box and make his little servant stab him with the saws, and come out unharmed. "Is there anyone in the crowd who believe they can survive ten saws in their body?" He points his finger at the audience. Coward, get in the box yourself. Oh how nice it would be if his trick malfunctioned. Slowly he walks up the isle to look for a volunteer. I hide my face with my hands. "Are you scared he'll pick you?" Anne asks. I carefully move my fingers so i can see her face expression. She's teasing me. I sit up. "No, what about you?" I answer. Anne giggles. "I'm not the one who was hiding from him haha". My face turns red. Fine, i don't know how the trick works. I'm scared, and I don't trust this man. "You.. yes you" I hear. My heart stops beating for a while. I turn my head. Ydris is pointing directly at me. "Y/n, what a pleasant surprise. Would you like to perform a magic trick with me?" He smirks. Anne bumps me with her shoulder and nods. I look him into the eyes. I stand up. The audience cheers and Ydris starts to slowly applaud me. "Interesting.. Come with me onto the stage, will you?" I manage my way onto the isle and step down to the stage. there's sand on the ground. The lights are warm and i can't see the faces of the crowd. I place my hand above my eyes but Ydris grabs my wrist before i could finish the movement. "She will now enter the box, and Xin, my beloved assistant, will place each individual saw inside these holes." he strokes the box with his fingers and drags me into it with his other arm. He's tall, i have to look up in order to make eye contact. He notices this and bends a bit down towards my ear. "Don't worry, little dove, I know what I'm doing" he whispers. The door shuts and it gets dark.